For Art
by dreamyhearts
Summary: To save money to go to university, Sora and Riku move in together. /University AU
1. introduction

University was expensive, so the best friends would do anything to help each other out.

Sora and Riku decided that if they were going to the same school, they might as well live together.

Riku and Sora had been best friends for as long as they could remember. Kairi had come in and out of their lives, but she had her heart set on a west coast university far from the dream college of Riku's, which was close to their hometown. Sora was a flexible boy, and he didn't know what he really wanted. It was totally up to fate, whichever friend he followed. He could've taken a year off to decide, but he ended up going with Riku.

So they shared an apartment.

It was 20 minutes walk from the Saint Michael's University Campus, but their climate was warm and both the boys were active. They didn't mind the walk. Sora, an art major, worked as a barista at a nearby Starbucks and Riku was juggling an unpaid internship at the law firm and being cashier at the liquor store. Sora knew he had a lot less on his plate, so he took care of Riku. He did most of the chores for the house, but he didn't mind. Although the only affection he had towards the other boy was nothing more than an unrequited crush, he still had a tender platonic love for him.

The two boys were coming home late one day with armfuls of groceries. They knew their neighbors on each side: to their left was a kind old man by the name of Mr. Xehanort, and to their right was a couple that did nothing but fight, all of which they could hear through the paper thin walls.

They didn't mind, though. They kept each other happy.

"Afternoon, boys," Xehanort was on the way out as they were arriving. He tipped his hat. "Always nice to see such callow youth."

"Nice to see you, sir," Sora answered and Riku offered him a calm smile. As they entered the apartment, the brunette turned around, leaned on the wall and covered his mouth. As soon as Riku closed the door, Sora released a little giggle. "Do you think he's ever gonna realize that we're not brothers?"

Riku smacked a hand against his forehead. "Sora. We don't even look alike."

"You goof." Sora smiled. "We kinda do. We both have blue eyes, you look big enough to be my big brother."

"The hair?" Riku cocked an eyebrow, lifting one of Sora's spikes.

Sora considered it. "You're the albino?"

Riku laughed. "Xehanort can think what he wants. He's half senile anyway."

"Riku!" Sora covered his mouth, shocked at what his often reserved friend said. "Shut it. You're pretty much a brother to me."

"Is that so?" Riku teased with little hesitation and, putting down his groceries, took Sora under his arm and rubbed the top of his head. "If only you'd learn a thing or two from me."

"You taught me a lot of things," Sora continued their back and forth. "Like… uh," he laughed. "I dunno."

Riku sighed and flopped down on the couch. "God, I'm spent. Wanna order something in for supper?"

Sora was putting their groceries in the fridge. "Yeah, ok. What do you want?"

Riku sighed. "Maybe some kind of pasta? I don't care, just get me whatever you're having."

Sora examined the menu on the side of their fridge for the cheap Italian place two blocks down. "I think I'll have the… uh… carbonara."

"Ew, not that," Riku wrinkled his face, looking through a stack of papers on their coffee table. "Ask them what soups they have on today."

Sora smiled and when he asked, they had minestrone and potato bacon, he knew that Riku would want the minestrone. His friend was asleep on the couch, and he didn't want to bother him.

* * *

"Riku," Sora came in after work on a Thursday night to find the apartment warm and lit only by a small red lamp in the front room. He shouldered off his backpack from school, hung his apron in the closet, fingered his hair and crossed over to their bedroom/office. Yes, the two shared a bed, but only to save money. They had slept in the same room since the beginning of their school days, and after a few weeks of awkwardness after they'd moved in, they'd just gotten accustomed to it.

Sometimes it felt nice to roll over and see a familiar face.

Their apartment was quite small - only a Kitchenette, a small sitting area, their bathroom, and bedroom. They crammed a desk in the corner where Riku was working, the bright lamp shining on him with his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

Sora knew that meant shit was getting real.

"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down on the bed and unbuttoning his Starbucks shirt. "You busy?"

Riku was chewing on a pen cap, scrutinizing the papers. He adjusted his reading glasses. "I'm almost done."

Sora smiled. "I wanna watch a movie tonight. I'll be right back."

He crossed back into their sitting area where they had their couch and TV. He'd grabbed some PJ pants in the bedroom and kicked off his slacks, slipping them on. He couldn't help but wonder what Riku had eaten that day.

Riku came out of the bedroom with a yawn, rubbing his face and propping his glasses on his forehead. "Okay, what's up?"

"Let's watch a movie!" Sora pulled his legs up onto the couch. "Something scary! Tomorrow's just Friday, we can stay up a little late tonight!"

Riku didn't need much convincing - Sora always got his way. He sat down next to his roommate and let out a sigh of relief. He was really overworking himself. The brunette started Netflix and Riku threw his arm over his shoulder. Sora didn't hesitate in cuddling up next to him. He started the first suggested horror film and turned his attention to Riku. Fair hairs were slipping out of his ponytail, and Sora reached back to take the elastic out, letting Riku's shoulder-length hair fall down.

Sinister was the movie they watched, and it was pretty violent for someone as soft as Sora. Riku didn't mind the younger man hiding his face in his side during the gory parts; he was tough and has seen some shit for a young man of twenty, and he knew in his heart he'd accept any excuse to get a little closer to Sora.

In more than this night only, what they were doing was not good for them - by some unspoken agreement, they allowed a certain amount of intimacy with each other, enough to lead the heart in one direction, with no clear boundary where things were not acceptable. Riku knew that if he asked Sora to kiss him, he probably would, but he didn't want to remind himself of that. For some bizarre reason, both of them were convinced the other was straight. It made sense with Sora - he flirted with Kairi, but he flirted with guys too! Everything Riku did seemed inherently gay to everyone around him, but his seriousness made Sora believe that he would never be gay, and even if he was, he wouldn't want a goofball like himself as a lover.

But there was a certain jealousy between them too. They didn't need to say it - neither of them would date anyone else for fear of upsetting the other. They were both too empathetic; something Sora had since he was born and something Riku tried very hard to absorb from his best friend.

Sora was very much regretting his choice of movie by the time he saw children being run over by the lawnmower, but he didn't want to back out. Riku was dozing before midnight - Sora didn't notice and stuck it out. When the credits rolled, Riku gently awakened to a wide-eyed Sora. "I really shouldn't'a watched that."

"Oh, Sora," Riku rolled his eyes and smiled, stretching his sore neck. "You know these things aren't real."

Sora set his jaw. "I have bad dreams though."

Riku sat up a little more and frowned. His tone sharpened: "I thought you said you weren't having as many."

"Well… not many." Sora was looking bashfully down. He explained, "I don't want to worry you."

Riku smiled. "I like worrying about you." He was so scared of hurting the people he loved. "Have some milk and crackers, and come to bed."

Sora wrapped himself in the enormous throw and stood up to go to the kitchen. He looked back at Riku before asking, "will you come with me?"

Riku stayed with him while he ate his arrowroot, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and got into bed.  
"Goodnight, Sora," he turned off the lamp and crawled into the other side.

It was quiet for a second until Sora hysterically whispered, "Riku… I'm scared…"

As tired as he was, the blond turned to see Sora near tears. He hated seeing him like this. "Here," he tapped the lamp next to him to turn it on its lowest brightness. "Does that help?"

Sora nodded. "A-a little."

Riku smiled with a sigh and scooted so he could put his upper arm protectively over Sora's body. "No one's gonna hurt you…" _Not while I'm around._

Riku was exhausted and fell asleep easily, and Sora was able to distract himself enough to get to sleep. However, throughout the night, he was plagued by shadowy dreams, leaving just on the edge of sleep where he wasn't conscious enough to make a decision to think about something else, but he wasn't getting any rest either. When he woke up, he cuddled hard into Riku's side, trying to shake the thoughts he'd been having.

He tried counting to get himself back to sleep, but that was boring and he would get distracted and trail off from the idea. Instead, he put his whole mind to work by imagining Riku. Sora was determined not to let any other thoughts in - he pictured his best friend, imagined his voice, his eyes.

This allowed Sora to rest, and he felt a little less scared the rest of the night.

* * *

It was near the end of the semester again, and summer was falling hard on Hampstead, their hometown. Their little apartment was always hot, so they always left the window open - the cool breeze was peaceful, and they liked the city noise.

In fact, a heat wave has hit their little town - the boys were up early, sweating and panting, lying on top of the hot bed with all the sheets on the ground.

Riku sat up, getting a drink of room temperature water from the glass next to him. "We need something cold," he groaned.

Sora sighed. "I call the shower."

"Don't take too long," Riku teased him. The younger man was notorious for taking his time in the shower. Plus, Riku had a better idea.

It was a Saturday, one that both of them had off. This was a rare occurrence, considering their busy schedules. Riku packed up a little picnic while Sora cooled off in the shower and laid out a tank top and shorts for his friend. He ignored the stack of papers waiting for him on the desk. Today was about making his best friend happy.

Sora's mind was very fogged in the heat - he wasn't in a bad mood, but he was awful lethargic. When he came out of the shower to find Riku packed up with sun hat and glasses, it took him a second to figure out what was going on.

"We're going to the beach!" Riku announced.

Sora's heart soared. He dressed quickly, grabbed his straw hat and the two packed into their good friend Aqua's sedan (she often let them borrow it if they needed a vehicle). It wasn't far to the island the two had spent their childhood summers on, and Riku was sure this was a good way to quench the summer heat.

Nearing their island, Sora suggested they stop at the corner store for something cool. He picked them out two sea salt ice cream bars - it just caught his eye. The two boys sat at a picnic table outside of the store and ate their ice cream. It was a truly beautiful day.

They both got brain freeze at the same time.

Their beach day was fantastic - it was a quiet little beach they'd found, barely anyone else there. They'd got to lounge around, Sora dozed, Riku read his book. They went in the water for a little. The day wasn't important - they had plenty of happy days. It was when they got home that things were different. They were relaxed, happy, but still very hot. They lay on the couch with the window wide, the fan on, the TV quietly playing the weather channel.

"I'm so hot," Sora moaned breathlessly. "I wish I was back in the water."

"Here," Riku moved the fan closer to Sora. "You can take off your shirt, if you want to."

Sora felt a little sheepish because he knew that he could take off his shirt. He shouldn't have been embarrassed about it. Oh, and now Riku was watching him intently, so he did remove his shirt. The cool air felt nice on his bare chest. Riku laid back again and pulled off his own tank top.

Both of them were sneaking peek at the other's gorgeous body.

Riku liked Sora thin waist, his freckled arms and shoulders, and even tan. The hair on his arms was fair, lighter than that on his head. Of course, Sora's hair always lightened in the summer, gold highlights coming out. Sora was special.

The brunette marveled at Riku's body whenever he saw it. He never had issues building muscle, but kept a lithe frame. Riku's hair was a unique attraction - all over his body, every hair was silvery white. Some random mutation must've let him be that way. Sora had seen Riku's parents: his father's hair was brown and his mother's was honey blonde. He hadn't the slightest inkling how Riku came to be.

Sora shook himself from his adoring thoughts. "I'll start supper. You want salad?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah… yes, please."

* * *

Sora came home one afternoon the next week with sketchbook in hand. "Hey, Riku," he called, dropping his pack in the closet. "What time are you working 'til tonight?"

Riku was getting dressed and stepped out of the bedroom, fiddling with his tie. "Uh… it shouldn't be long . I'm secretary-ing a court session today. Usually the ones I get to go to aren't more than a few hours. Sometimes they can be a laugh, too." As he was talking, he kind of got confused and his tie ended up in the wrong orientation.

Sora smiled and moved in to fix Riku's tie. It was just a knee-jerk response, he would do anything he could to help. "Um, do you think I could come? Just to watch? And then, when you're done, could we go out for drinks or something?"

Riku laughed. "It is Friday night… don't you have work in the morning?"

Sora shrugged. "I'm not _really_ gonna get drunk. Too expensive."

Riku smiled. "Then my answer is yes. But put something nicer on, the judge won't want to see you looking like that!"

Sora smiled and dug out a dress shirt and pants for himself too. Riku always looked sharp, putting on a suit jacket and tying back his hair. Sora tucked his beloved crown necklace under his short sleeve dress shirt, tied on his western bowtie and chased Riku out the door.

They walked the short distance to the courthouse - it was a beautiful summer day, but with a bit more of a breeze so they weren't so hot. The building itself was a big, 19th-century masterpiece with huge staircases and arched windows. It was pleasantly air-conditioned, and Riku pointed Sora in the right direction and then went off to find his firm. Sora wandered in awe for a few minutes, enjoying the gold light coming through the western windows. He went into the courtroom and sat in the back half of the stands where he could get a good view of Riku at the typewriter.

The case actually was interesting - not as good as what you would see on CSI, or even on Cops, but still enough to keep Sora's attention. A lady was looking to get a restraining order from her ex-husband, and besides the lengthy opening statements, Sora enjoyed it. A few people came to testify, but it didn't take much for the judge to deal out the sentence. Riku was a wicked fast typer, that's for sure!

Once Riku was done wrapping up, he met Sora back in the lobby and the two were ready to head downtown. The sun was still barely above the horizon.

The two young men had a few coolers at a trendy little bar in the downtown of Hampstead. They both were smiley, laughing drunks. Sora was careful to limit how much he took in. Riku loved when it was just the two of them out like this. He knew that he was drinking with the hottest man in the bar, and everyone else was jealous of him. That gave him some comfort, even if he couldn't do as much with Sora as he wanted.

They walked home late, coolness finally beginning to settle in. Riku gave his suit jacket to Sora to cover his bare arms, and it didn't take them long to get home.

"Riku," Sora's motives were finally ready to be realized. "I have a favor to ask you."

The older boy was hydrating, leaning on the kitchen counter with the top few buttons of his dress shirt undone. "Yes?"

"Would you…" Sora licked his lips. "Would you let me sketch you for my art class?"

Riku smiled, replacing the glass on the counter. "Sure. What do you need me to do?"

"A-any pose," Sora stuttered, shocked at how easy this was. He needed the intoxication to ask the next part, though: "you have to be… naked, though." Riku's eyes widened and Sora could see the doubt in them. "It's not gay if it's for art!" Sora insisted.

Riku closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "No… no, it's fine. I don't mind. I wanna shower first, though. And maybe have something more to drink."

Sora started to beam. "Of course - anything you need."

Riku smiled. _The things he would do for Sora if he asked._ He undressed in the bathroom and took a quick, medium-cool shower.

Sora was excited, changing out of his dress clothes as well and putting on PJ shorts (basically boxers) and a tank top. His excitement was initially from the success of knowing that he was going to be able to complete his project for art class, but something in his heart was telling him he was excited about something more.

If he'd thought about it, he would've realized he'd seen Riku naked before. That would have made this situation a little less awkward. When they were little, they could get changed in the same room. Riku's shorts had been swept off in the ocean when they were eleven. But Sora had never seen Riku at his full potential, as he was now.

Again, he was excited.

Sora set up his sketchbook and a little lamp so he'd be able to see. He kept the rest of the apartment dark; he thought it would be less awkward that way. He was going to get Riku to lie on the couch, so at least he would be comfortable. The blonde came out of the shower wearing a cloth bathrobe and toweling off his silky hair.

Sora lay down on a couple cushions he'd laid out and propped up his 20"x16" sketchbook. He laid out is 2B-4B pencils - he liked them soft - and turned on his lamp. His mouth was dry as Riku finished drying his hair, straightened it into place and took off his robe. Sora's face was already flushed from the alcohol, so thankfully Riku couldn't really tell as Sora heated up admiring his body. He didn't look where he wanted to most.

"What should I do?" Riku asked.

"Just make yourself comfortable," Sora was trying to be professional. "It's supposed to be in the moment."

Riku sat down, flushed as well. He was really well built, but no one was good at being naked, especially not around your best friend of many years who you kind of wanted to bone. He stretched out on their couch with one arm behind his head and the other stretched along his side, legs loosely bent. It wasn't inherently sexy, but very romantic, much like a renaissance painting. His pose looked effortless, and Sora set to work.

"So," Riku chatted after a few minutes of silence. "You're still enjoying your art?"

Sora nodded, an eraser grasped in his mouth. "I lofe ih," he mumbled before dropping the eraser. "I mean, might as well do something I like if I don't know which career I'm going to end up in."

"You'll find something," Riku tilted his head up just a degree, but Sora noticed and swiped the eraser over his page. "Sorry," Riku quickly tried to correct it, but Sora shushed him, "no, go back, it's better that way. That's the perfect angle for your jawline." Riku returned to his second posture.

As focused as Sora was at his work, his mind started to wander as a masterpiece unfolded before him. Riku was so well built, his muscles all in perfect condition. This should have been no surprise - the two of them worked out together as often as they could, and Sora was seeing similar results in himself. There was something nice about seeing _Riku_ , though: Riku was kind of forbidden territory, and everything showed so much nicer on him, too. Sora loved displaying it - his work was turning out excellently.

Riku was actually enjoying this experience. Once he got over the initial embarrassment, it was rather nice being naked. It cooled him off considerably, but the heat from the day kept him from cooling too much. Riku, for some reason, didn't feel self-conscious around Sora. He felt proud of his body.

He wouldn't mind spending more time with Sora like this.


	2. conclusion

Sora's grandmother was sick. Both boys knew what that meant.

Sora knew he had to go visit her to say goodbye. Riku couldn't miss the work - he didn't really have an excuse besides that he wanted to be with Sora. And, to anyone besides the two boys, that desire wasn't the most rational. This conundrum led to Sora packing his bags for a trip back to the Destiny Islands, where both boys had grown up. Riku walked him to the train station, carried his luggage to the train, and embraced him with an uncharacteristic tenderness.

"Call me when you get there," Riku mumbled to Sora as they hugged. "And call me if you ever need to talk. Tell your mother hello from me."

Sora smiled as he pulled back. "You know I will," he answered with a sincerity which couldn't be faked. He smiled as the train's whistle blew and he picked up his suitcase. The wind on the track made his hair and the sweater around his waist flutter. He looked beautiful in the orange afternoon light. He stepped towards the train, ran back and hugged Riku once more, then hurried into the train. He sat down by a window and the blonde waved at him until the train was gone.

He was going to miss his best friend so fucking much.

The walk home was quiet. Riku already wanted Sora to call. At home, he tried to focus on work, but couldn't stop thinking about Sora. He didn't want the brunette to be sad, not ever. He wanted to be the one to make Sora feel alright, but so many things were out of his control.

It would only be a few days. That's what he told himself.

Riku had no appetite, so he missed Sora when he couldn't eat. He missed Sora at school. All of Sora's friends knew to ask Riku where he was. Riku delivered Sora's news.

You could imagine how happy Riku was to get a call from Sora that night. It still broke his little hard when he heard how dejected Sora sounded.

"I miss you," Sora was the first one to say it. "When I put on my sweater, there was sand in it. Remember that night in the fall…? At the beach?"

Riku thought back with a fond smile to a night he could barely remember. The two of them driving back to the Islands late one night in October, sitting in the sand, looking up at the stars. Sleeping in the back of the car, cuddling in each other's arms to stay warm. Riku blushed. He wouldn't have remembered that night if Sora hadn't reminded him. "Yeah," Riku smiled. "I love the Islands." He cleared his throat and managed, "I miss you, too. How's your nan?"

Sora sighed. "She's got pneumonia. She's so old, Riku. She's ninety."

Riku sighed right back. All his grandparents had passed long ago. "How is she feeling?"

"In good spirits," Sora answered. "Mom's worried. If she passes, she'll be alright with it. I'm glad I got to see her."

"That's good," Riku affirmed. "I'm glad everyone's happy." I'm glad you're happy .

Sora hummed a little. "I should probably go. Mom's cooking is so good. She invited us to come down once term's over."

"Tell her I'd love to." Riku was shaken because his heart was aching so bad for Sora. He wanted to tell him to hurry back, but didn't want to rush him. "I'll see you soon. Take care."

"I will," Sora said fondly. "Bye."

Riku hung up and was already wishing they were still talking. He continued to ache for Sora that night, when he couldn't sleep. The sheets smelled like him.

It was the next morning, right after coffee, that the thought occurred to him that perhaps these feelings were those of more than just friendship. He'd considered it before, but had always kept himself from realizing it. He knew Sora was straight (or, thought he knew) from his interactions with Kairi, and even if he had a chance, he was worried he would mess up their friendship. There was no way he would be reciprocated, and then Sora would never be as open with him as he was now.

That's all Riku wanted. Someone who he could share every fibre of himself with.

And that little time while Sora was away was all he needed to realize that it had to be him

* * *

Sora stayed on the island for the rest of that week, and his grandmother did pass away. Riku went down for the funeral on the weekend, and the relief of seeing Sora was not the same with the tragedy in the air. It was a rainy day, and Sora and his parents met Riku in his black suit at the train station. He hugged them all, Sora hardest, and consoled them. Riku knew a lot about loss.

The funeral was kind and warm, just like everyone in Sora's family. It made Riku sad, but with a proud undertone. He liked being associated with this grand family. It was all very bittersweet. Sora had a few tears and reached for Riku's hand to squeeze when he was feeling weak. They headed back to Hampstead the next day.

The whole next week, Sora was a little subdued. Riku wanted to give him the time to be sad. Sora's smiles weren't the same, even though he put on a happy face for everyone. His heart just wasn't in it.

He deserved some good news.

Sora rushed in Wednesday afternoon, eyes wide and heart racing. His was barely in time to catch Riku before he left for work.

"Sora?" Riku asked.

"I just sprinted here," Sora said breathlessly. "I wanted… to tell you…" he leaned back on the doorframe and sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Oh gosh…"

Riku's eyes widened. "What, what is it?"

Sora smiled, "My art teacher just told me - I - I have a lot of potential so - so he set up - an art show for me! And it's this weekend!"

Riku's mouth dropped open a little. He knew how much Sora talked about wanting to do an art show - that was a big move towards a career he thought he'd never be able to have. Riku knew Sora's art was very special, he deserved this big break. Uncharacteristically, he wrapped Sora in a huge bear hug. This caught the brunette by surprise, but he was just bubbling with joy, he hugged Riku back even harder.

"I'm gonna get started!" Sora breathlessly said when he was released, beaming. "There's so much more art I want to make before this weekend!"

"Well, hop to it," Riku smiled fondly. "If you need help with anything setting it up, I'm here."

Sora went in and hugged Riku again. "Thank you so much. Now go have fun at work! I'll see you tonight."

The brunette was still in shock, heart pounding with excitement. He had so many sketches that he wanted to turn into paintings, so many ideas that were worth selling.

Everything he made was a masterpiece.

Sora really had a way with art - since he'd been little, he had a good eye for position, and it had come really naturally. He enjoyed it immensely too; the rest of that day, he painted with the window open and the radio on quietly. Hours passed like minutes, and he liked everything he created. He wasn't a perfectionist, but he always saw the best in everything.

He couldn't wait for his show.

* * *

Saturday snuck up on the two. Sora furiously made art every waking moment - he had so many ideas that he wanted to have ready for his show. Riku was happy to help with the grunt work: he went out and bought new supplies, scouted out and set up the display space, cooked for Sora. The showroom was a simple white room with high windows, co-owned by the university. The professor had a truck sent over on Saturday morning to transport the art, but Sora would have to arrive early to align it all.

"You'll be fine," Riku assured him as Sora continued to work on one last piece even after the rest had been sent to the show. "Everyone's going to love what you made." Riku had worked early today but gotten the afternoon off to help Sora prepare mentally.

"I really wanna finish this one," Sora's eyes didn't move from the canvas. "I couldn't sleep last night - I just kept thinking about how much the collection needs this."

"You know best," Riku conceded. "I gotta take a shower before we head over, I'm going in now."

Sora nodded absentmindedly and Riku embarked for the bathroom. He was a cool shower kind of guy, but was notorious for his complicated hair and skincare routine. He wasn't in the water for two minutes before there was a bang at the door.

"What?" Riku yelled, continuing to wash his hair.

The door cracked open and Sora yelled in, "P'fesser Yen Sid just called, the art shows not at 5:30, it's at 4:30!"

Riku frowned. "You… you better get over there, then!"

"I have to shower!" Sora yelled exasperatedly. "I haven't showered in days and I've got paint all over me."

"I haven't even washed my hair -" Riku started to protest but shook his head because he knew it was to no avail. "You know what - just get in here. It'll save time and water."

Sora at the door started to blush but he knew this was no time for embarrassment. He threw off his painting clothes and slid into the shower behind Riku. "Thanks," he breathed, trying not to look at Riku's toned butt.

The blond turned and the two of them were both trying so hard to keep their eyes up. "Ok, you get wet, I gotta shampoo." Riku moved out of the water to let Sora squeeze by and get in. He lathered up his hair.

Sora shivered and turned up the heat of the water. He was so close to naked Riku… any other time, he would've been turned on all to hell, but his mind was in another place. He rubbed at the paint stains on his arms and hands.

As Sora turned to face Riku and closed his eyes to wet his hair, Riku snuck a look at what Sora had to offer. It was only fair - Sora spent hours looking at Riku's manhood while he sketched him, the least he could get was a glance in return.

But a glance is all it takes.

Riku blushed now, although he was not usually the awkward one, as he got half hard looking at Sora. He wondered if his roommate would be averse to this idea if he'd known Riku was gay. Squeezing his thighs, Riku tried to focus on his shampoo and turned so Sora couldn't really see him.

The two continued to switch in and out of the water until they were both clean, hair washed, and refreshed, then they both left the shower. No more awkwardness ensued. While Riku toweled off modestly, Sora rushed out rubbing the towel on his back and on his head, butt naked into their apartment to find something to wear.

Sora tore through his closet and put on his nice green dress pants, dress shoes and length sleeve checked dress shirt, western bow tie and a black vest. He brushed his fingers through his hair, arranging his spikes into their usual array. He dressed so fast, he was out the door by the time Riku was dry.

He had his latest work under his arm.

It didn't take Sora long to get to the art gallery. The professor was already there, but Sora wasn't more than ten minutes late. He decided to arrange all the paintings quickly. Most of them were landscapes - that was what he was best at. Some were more technical: a still life painting, a Hampstead street in perspective. The crowning piece, which he'd been working on until the last minute, was a colorized version of his sketch of Riku.

His collection was titled Land.

The show started soon after, and Sora was surprised how many people showed up. The professor had invited some other teachers, he saw a few art students from his class. Aqua was there. There were wine and cheese. There were lots of strangers, too.

Sora smiled when Riku stepped in wearing a silver dress shirt and tight black pants. Riku hadn't known he was going to be the star of the show.

The sun shone through the western windows, long shadows were cast into the room. Riku entered the big double doors and was unnoticed for a second, blending into the crowd. He looked around and everything Sora had been working towards, all this beautiful art. He admired his best friend, looking so professional and so clean and so damn cute , talking to potential buyers.

They didn't get to talk to each other for a little while; Sora was busy chatting with the guests. Riku looked around, admiring work he'd seen before and taking in some new pictures. Some already had red dots placed next to them, indicating they'd been purchased.

Riku had to sit for a moment after one tour around the room. His heart was aching. He was so proud of Sora, he was tearing up.

Riku sat there for a moment, trying hard to compose himself. This was unlike him, shaking so much. He'd always known that if anyone could pull this off, it was Sora. Seeing it come to fruition was different, though.

Sora finally had a moment free. He went over to Riku, sitting next to him on the bench. He was nervous when he saw the tears on the other boy's cheek. "Oh, Riku…" he said sadly, rubbing his arm. "What did I do? I'm sorry I didn't ask your permission to post that picture, I just -"

"It's not that," Riku shook his head and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "You're just… so amazing."

Sora gawked. This was high praise from Riku! The brunette started beaming. "Then don't cry, Riku! Come on, show me which one's your favourite!"

Everyone's eyes remained on Sora as he pulled Riku up to look through the paintings once more. Is that the painter, Sora Inuri? He's a prodigy. A few began making the connection that the white-haired man he spoke to was the same man as the naked painting at the head of the room, illuminated by light. The muse.

As Riku and Sora were just getting down to analyzing the first painting, the art professor came over with an elderly man with black hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Mr. Inuri," the professor caught Sora's attention. "This is Dr. Eraqus. He's the director of the Art Department at Saint Michael's. I believe he'd like to go through some of your art with you."

Sora paled and his eyes widened, but he gladly accepted Eraqus's outstretched hand. Riku took this as his cue to amuse himself again.

While Sora talked with the director, Riku noticed something distinct about all the paintings. All of them he recognized. Even though it took him a second, every scene was somewhere he'd been before. Even the still life was his - it was a rose in a wine bottle next to a guava. Guava was Riku's favourite fruit, he always had them in the house. The rose had been from one of Kairi's galas - she was a pianist, and the previous fall, both boys had flown out to see one of her big shows. Riku bought a bouquet of roses for her but gave one to Sora before. Sora had kept that rose in the green wine bottle for a while.

Riku had never known what an impact he'd had on Sora's life.

Sora was pretty busy for the rest of the night, and the show ended as the sun touched the horizon. After all the patrons were gone, Riku helped Sora clean up everything that remained and pack up his paintings. Sora's heart was pounding.

He'd sold every painting.

"I can't believe it," Riku said in awe, hugging Sora tightly. "I knew you had a gift. Congratulations."

"Aw, Riku," Sora smiled and hugged him back. "I probably could've charged more." He snaked out of the other boy's arms. "Plus, I couldn't have done it without you."

Riku flushed a little. He didn't know what to say. His heart was stirring, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

Sora yawned, finishing wrapping up the last painting. "We should go home. I'm drained."

Riku smiled and looped an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "Anything you want."

They walked home in the twilight, and Sora regained some of his energy. He wanted to go for a little walk, and lead Riku up onto a moonlight hill. It was really magical: there were fireflies, the sky was a little bit purple, the stars were twinkling. Tonight was an important night.

They sat on a bench. Sora gazed up at the sky. "Remember when we were kids?" Sora asked so generally.

Riku turned his head upward too. "Yeah. We did a lot of stuff. We had a lot of fun."

"Remember," Sora snorted and looked down, "when we were playing truth or dare at Tidus's birthday party, and Kairi made you kiss me?"

Riku laughed, blushing. "Yes. That was really awkward…"

Sora shook his head. "You were my first kiss."

Riku's eyes widened. "Wait - are you serious? I swear you kissed Kairi before me!"

Sora shook his head and smiled fondly. "I didn't kiss Kairi until a while after that. Only on the cheek, too." He looked to the horizon. "You were a good kisser. I liked it."

Riku sighed and wished he was at least a little drunk. He said it anyway: "Y'know, I would do anything for you if you asked."

Sora licked his lips, eyes widening. He wanted to make sure his heart was certain, but the words slipped out: "Kiss me now?"

This caught Riku off guard; he hadn't expected Sora to take him up on his offer, but part of him was thrilled that he'd asked. His mouth had dropped open, and he carefully clarified: "Wait, really?"

Sora nodded demurely. God, this is how he'd always wanted it, and Riku was so close to going along with it!

Riku knew there were so many more things they should've talked about first, but the warm night air made him move in slowly, putting a hand on the back of Sora's neck, carefully looking at his lips before…

… capturing Sora's lips on his own.

Sora's heart beamed and he kissed back happily. It was chaste, but so satisfying. After a few seconds, they pulled back, and both boys were suddenly so relieved. As their eyes opened and met, they immediately moved in to kiss again, three or four kisses this time. Crickets chirped quietly around them.

They pulled back again and now Riku yelled, "you're gay?" to Sora at the same time he yelled back, "you're gay for me?"

Sora was the first to speak. "Of course I'm gay - couldn't you tell?"

"You're the straightest manly man ever around Kairi!" Riku exclaimed.

Sora laughed. "Yeah, and you aren't? I need the strength to protect what's important!"

Riku's eyes widened. "You thought I was talking about her?"

"You were talking about me ?!" Sora inferred. "Oh my gosh, I just…" he pulled in Riku and kissed him again. He pulled back and sighed. "Man, I gotta stop doing that."

Riku didn't know what to say. He was in shock. What was going to happen to them now?

Thankfully, Sora spoke again. "I've kinda had a crush on you for a long time."

Riku swallowed. "Me too."

Sora was starting to realize the seriousness of the discovery the two had made, the fireworks of their first kiss fading away. "Oh my gosh… I don't want this to change anything. Oh, Riku, can we still be best friends?"

Riku was confused but tried to remain calm. "Of course. I would never want to give up what we have…"

"But I -" Sora started to whine, but held himself back, took a breath, and organized his thoughts. "I still wanna… y'know, kiss and stuff."

Riku smiled, catching on. "And what about… taking showers together? And hanging out… naked? "

Sora beamed and smiled. "Yes yes yes! Oh my god, Riku, I… I wanna call myself your boyfriend." He caught himself: "as long as that's what you want, too."

Riku lidded his eyes and smiled. "There's nothing I would like more."

* * *

Everyone they told had the same reaction.

"You weren't dating already?"

Riku had expected the largest reaction to his coming out to come from his father, who was strict and serious and somewhat cold, but when he announced that he and Sora had made it official, he was happy. Everyone knew Sora was good for Riku, and that Riku made Sora very happy. It didn't take anyone by surprise.

Sora loved having a boyfriend . Honestly, things didn't change much - they were just a little less awkward when they were naked together. Sora was upset that people didn't notice when he wore Riku's clothes (which he now did the majority of the time). So many people were used to seeing them together all the time, so it was no different.

After school was out, they just enjoyed each other's company all the time. Riku has always been so fond of Sora, and at least now, he didn't have to hide it anymore. Anytime his little boyfriend would do anything cute, he could swoop down and peck him on the lips, and his heart was just full of joy.

It really livened up their little apartment - it felt renewed with this next step in their relationship. Sora brought Riku flowers often - they loved doing these little things for each other.

It was the night after their last exam: the precipice of their first summer as a couple. Riku had gotten someone to take his shift at the liquor store so he could have the evening alone with Sora - to be honest, he was expecting a lot out of tonight, but was trying to keep his expectations reasonable.

Sora was home for the day (his last exam had been the day before) so he was already cooking by the time Riku got home. As the lock clicked, Sora leaned back to look at him. "So, how was it?"

Riku smirked. "I knew all the hard stuff but didn't know some of the easy stuff. But, I mean, it definitely wasn't a C."

Sora walked over and hugged onto him. "I'm so proud of you!" he exclaimed, although there was little to be proud of at the time. He already knew, in his heart, that Riku had done great.

"What have you been cooking all day?" Riku asked curiously.

The brunette moved protectively in front of the stove. "It's a surprise. But it's special."

"Ok," Riku tussled Sora's hair. "I trust you."

"Go get changed," Sora gently pushed Riku towards their bedroom, "those exam clothes are cursed."

Riku was still in exam gear - black headband, sweatpants, a baggy tee: nothing to distract him during the test. Sora still thought he was adorable, but this was a special occasion; they were to dress up, even if they were just eating in.

Once Riku had returned to the bedroom, Sora snuck over to the cupboard and dug out their red tablecloth and candlestick, both of which were seldom used. He fetched a bottle of wine as well - it had been a while since they'd had nice things.

Thankfully, Riku was taking his sweet time getting changed, so Sora could attend to his cooking again. He had a pot roast in the oven (not the most romantic food, but one of Riku's favorites) with a tray of garlic mashed potatoes on the stove. He was getting a fresh salad ready now. The sweet summer breeze was blowing in from the open window in the bedroom and the radio was playing softly. Sora sang along absentmindedly as he tossed the salad in the bowl.

For a second after Riku had changed before Sora realized he was back out, he admired his boyfriend and the work he'd done. The little things like this - Sora singing out of tune to the radio, swaying back and forth before the oven - were what Riku loved best. He snuck up behind Sora and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist, embracing him and singing into his ear as well. Sora spun and beamed, not really caring about the surprise anymore.

"You look nice," he complimented Riku and didn't even look at his outfit.

Riku took Sora by the hand and spun him so they were front to front, as if they were dancing. He untied Sora's apron - I mean, who honestly wears an apron to cook? - and admired Sora's outfit (a cute red button-down with white shorts) as well. "You too," Riku smiled.

Sora nodded his head to the music. "Let's dance, Riku."

Riku laughed. "Fine." He adjusted his hold to mimic proper dancing with Sora. The song playing was one from their childhood - something you'd hear at a middle school dance that all the kids would slow dance to. The way they moved didn't actually matter; they only felt the others hands on their body. Sora was singing again and Riku found it so endearing that he was singing along too. The spun around their kitchen, holding each other tight.

They both didn't know how they'd gotten this lucky.

They danced and goofed off for god knows how long - time flew by when they were together. Riku released Sora after squeezing him especially tight and took a seat at their fancied-up dining table. "Sora, I just…" he was a little out of breath from all the fun they were having. "You are so special to me."

Sora sat down across from him. "Something tells me we're going to have a lot of fun together." He could sense nervousness from Riku and his heart sped up - there were so many things that could come from this.

"I am so happy we finally got to this point," Riku said in a very rehearsed way. "You're honestly the best boyfriend I could ever ask for, and I know we're going to last for a long time." He was speeding up, his eyes darting, looking nervous. Damn, this had gone better in his head. "Sora, I just want you to know that… Sora…"

Sora smiled gently and reached up to touch Riku's face and he stopped bumbling. "I love you, too."

That was the first time. Riku smiled gratefully and leaned into Sora's touch. "I love you," he tried it out. "I love you, Sora Inuri."

Sora stood up to reach over the table so that he could kiss Riku's mouth. He'd been waiting for weeks for Riku to say it, and honestly, it couldn't have gone better.

But Riku wasn't done yet. He cleared his throat, his smile vanishing. "Um…" he looked down, fiddling under the table. Again, Sora was excited, but nervous. What more could he get than an I love you? "I got you something," Riku finally managed to get the small box out of his pocket. His heart was racketing around in his chest; he so wanted Sora to like it. "To commemorate our first month together, and in honor of many more."

This caught Sora by surprise. He really wasn't expecting a present - honestly, he didn't think a month with his boyfriend was that big an occasion when they'd been affectionate for years. He looked at the box as Riku opened it. His blond companion continued to trip over his words: "You already know how protective I am of you, and I don't want you to think I'm coming on too strong. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to." Sora's eyes widened as he saw a ring in the box.

"W-what…?" he mumbled, looking at Riku for an explanation.

"I got us matching rings," Riku filled him in. "It's not a wedding ring, I-I don't want to get married yet, but I just…" He smiled down fondly at the box in his hand. "I want you to be with me everywhere I go."

The ring was beautiful - a white gold band with tiny clear jewels around the circumference. "Oh, Riku," Sora beamed. "I love it!" He covered his mouth, starting to tear up. No one had ever done anything like this for him before.

"Y'see," Riku slid the box closer to Sora and dug a second out of his pocket, "mine is yellow gold to match your hair, and yours is white gold to match mine." He had clearly put some effort into thinking about this. He revealed his own matching ring to Sora.

Sora instantly went and slipped the ring onto his right ring finger. "How did you afford these?" he asked in wonder. They were beautiful rings, and real, too - no costume jewelry for Riku and his lover.

"Let's just say we saved a lot of money by living together," Riku teased lightly.

Again, Sora leaned over, grabbed Riku by the front of his shirt and kissed him harder. "I so love you! Tonight is perfect…"

As if he'd jinxed it, their smoke alarm suddenly started going off. Sora released Riku and yelled, "my roast!" Across their kitchen, dark smoke was coming out of the oven. He turned it off and opened the oven, released a puff of darkness. Riku couldn't help but laugh, propping their small window open wider and grabbing a cushion, trying to fan the smoke away from the detector.

"Riku, I'm sorry," Sora cried tiredly as he pulled the roast, now blackened, out of the oven. "I forgot to take it out. Now our fancy supper is ruined…" He dropped the baking tray in the sink and threw off his oven mitts dejectedly.

It hurt Riku to see Sora sad. The smoke detector had stopped, and he walked over to grab Sora's face. "Hey, don't worry about it," he assured his boyfriend. He interlocked their hands and Sora could feel their rings - he could remember their meaning. "The dinner wasn't what made tonight special, it was us, okay?"

Riku had something about him that made Sora smile and get over his disappointment. "You always know just what to say," Sora released his hands and took Riku into a tight embrace.

They hugged for a moment in their smoky little apartment before Sora released Riku, and Riku brushed Sora's hair back behind his ear. "Now, do you want to order something from the cheap Italian place two blocks down?" Riku offered.

Sora smiled. "What do you want?"

Riku answered, "Just get me whatever you're having."


End file.
